If I Could Turn Back Time
by The Girl On Fire 123
Summary: The Battle of Hogwarts has been over for a year now and Hermione Granger is left feeling heartbroken. Nothing will help her get over the loss of Fred Weasley. All of this changes when ex-Professor McGonagall turns up with an old Time Turner and a warning. She is given a choice; Bend the rules a bit or suffer from a loss non-retreivable. What would the old Hermione Granger do?
1. Chapter 1

_"No-no-no" someone was shouting. "No! Fred! No!_

_And Percy was shaking his brother, and Ron was kneeling beside them, and Fred's eyes stared without seeing, the ghost of his last laugh still etched upon his face.'_

"No!" Hermione screamed. She snapped her eyes open and began searching for him, before realizing where she was.

She had been dreaming again and…

"Hermione, shut up!"

…she had unfortunately woken up the whole house up.

It had had been a year since Fred Weasley, was murdered during the Battle at Hogwarts.

It had been fa year and the hole in her heart had still not healed. The nightmares were getting worse as each night passed.

Those days she would do anything to numb the pain. And worse- she never had the chance to him how she really felt about him, never had the chance to find out if he felt the same way.

_I guess I never will_, logic told her.

The thought was too tortuous, Hermione mind-slapped herself. She was always torturing herself with these guilt-ridden thoughts. She looked up through the curtains to see the crack of dawn -disturbing the small chance of falling asleep and decided it was worthless to try- and crept downstairs for an early breakfast.

The halls were eerie and bare. Not a sound could be heard but the wisp of the wind outside. It was so quiet the sound of a pin dropping could be enough to wake everyone up, again and she definitely did not want to disturb the house for a second time.

Hermione cautiously chose her steps, one-by-one down the creaking staircase, making sure not to make too much noise. All was quiet until . . . Hoot!

Hermione skid to a stop, paneling every corner of the house with her eyes. She looked to see Pigwidgeon (Ron's owl) hooting on the staircase and doing cartwheels here and there. Hermione sighed with relief as she tiptoed the rest of the way down the staircase.

"' Couldn't sleep, either?", a voice called in the same tone as Pigwidgeon, making Hermione jump.

Hermione strained her eyes as she tried to make out the figure that was now watching her.

Ron was sitting at the table drinking his (now-cold) coffee.

"'Had trouble sleeping." Hermione mumbled back.

"You look as pale as a ghost, Ron."

"Come sit with me." - Ron gestured to a chair encased in a green and white cushion that was piled with parchments and spilled ink.

"What's this?" Hermione asked on closer inspection.

"Oh, that? That's nothing", he retorted back, smiling tiredly.

"Come on, what is it?",she began playfully.

"No, please! It's nothing. At least not yet!" , Ron begged.

"Aha! So it is something!", Hermione teased.

No reply.

A smile reached Hermione's face as she leaped toward the parchment.

"No! Hermione, don't!" Ron bellowed!

"Shh! You'll wake everyone up!" Hermione joked.

"Oh yeah, like a certain someone did last night, eh?" Ron laughed as he scraped his chair across the floor.

"Ron, what are you…", Hermione began but could not finish because Ron was tickling her persistently and making her giggle.

"Ron! Okay, okay, I give up! I give up!", Hermione giggled hysterically as she threw the parchment back down onto the chair.

He eventually gave up tickling and decided to settle for a cuddle instead.

Hermione wished she could savor the moment more as she embraced Ron warmly.

"So why are you really here, Hermione?", he said softly?

I've never heard of a Hermione Granger not being able to sleep. Normally you sleep like my dad!"

Hermione raised an eyebrow as Ron pretended to be his dad snoring. In Hermione's mind he looked more like a yawning dog.

"Hey! I do not sleep like that! For your information I sleep like a lady!" she protested.

She glanced through the window at the orange sunrise for a moment. It was still quite early in the morning.

"Okay, okay smarty-pants!", he said, clutching Hermione's waist tighter as they hugged.

Hermione told Ron about her nightmare, worried that he might be upset by it.

But all Ron said was, "Oh. Well you know nightmares are only created so that we can be glad we aren't in a worse situation. And believe me, none of us want to go through that again. Please can you do me a favour and not mention it to everyone else? They're still a bit sensitive about it."

He said it so quietly that it was merely a whisper and with a deep sigh he was clutching Hermione's waist tighter as they hugged.

Hermione felt sympathy for Ron because it was obvious that he was finding it difficult to speak about it too.


	2. Chapter 2

The Weasley family sat down for breakfast later that morning. Arthur was whistling a merry tune whilst inspecting a muggle paper as if it was a very important artifact that needed to be handled with gentle care, George was testing his new experiment - or as he called it, 'Weasley Water Explosion'- on Ginny, who was knitting a scarf for Hermione, Ron was eating as usual, Molly was busy cooking the breakfast again because Ron had eaten it all and Percy was boasting about his new job in Switzerland. And as for Harry he had left early in the morning to go to Gringotts Bank.

Everyone had seemed content but Hermione. All she could think about was the dream. What had it meant? What was it trying to tell her? She already knew that Fred was dead. Why was the dream still haunting her after a year? Nothing was making sense to Hermione right now and even cutting her roll in half seemed a difficult task. It seemed that her mind was purposely being slow with processing thoughts just to annoy her. Hermione put this up to an empty stomach and contemplated the dream while eating her roll and sausages. It just made no sense. She began to wonder if her mind was just playing tricks on her. She had been thinking a lot about Fred lately so it was no wonder that her subconscious was thinking about him during the nights. It seemed only logical that she would dream about him.

"'So you wanna explain what the shouting was about last night, then? Found out you had a book overdue at the library?", George grinned.

Ron was following her gaze with a look of all-knowing in his eyes.

Hermione could feel his stare burning into her even if he was stuffing a sausage sideways into his mouth.

"Not that I can think of, no. It doesn't matter." Hermione replied.

"Come one, Hermione, you can tell me anything . . ." George pushed his eyebrows up - emphasising his eyes- with such an effort that Hermione burst out laughing.

"Ah, I knew I could get you smiling!" he winked.

"No, George, and even if I did trust you- which I don't- I wouldn't tell you."

She looked back at Ron, who had stopped watching her and was more focused on his sausage.

"Well I, personally, do not find it very funny. You know, I have a very important job in Switzerland to do with arrangements of the muggle whereabouts." Percy chimed in.

"Hey, mum I think we have a rat infestation in the house!" George called out.

"Eek!" yelped Ginny who had just finished knitting Hermione's scarf and appeared at the table for breakfast.

". . .Because one just tried to but into my conversation!"

"George! Don't talk about your brother that way!", Molly could be heard over the sizzling of the sausages and bacon as they were being plated.

"Well he is a rat and he knows it. He worked for the man who was trying to kill Harry when me and Fred..."

SMASH!

A loud smash and crash came from the kitchen ( Molly had dropped all the plates upon the sound of Fred's name). The house fell silent.

Everyone was staring at George who seemed unfazed.

"What?"

"Don't mention that name!", hissed Arthur, who now seemed to be in a foul mood.

You can't expect me to forget about him just like that. He was part of the family, meant everything to me and you just think that I'm going to forget about him? . . .That. . .that..."

George had turned crimson- ". . .That I am going to just be like you and forget the one person who meant everything in the world to me?"

Molly began sobbing.

"George!", Arthur began.

"Don't upset your mother like that!"

"No, dad! I've had enough! You expect me to just accept the fact that my own brother- your son- worked for the man that was being controlled by Lord Voldemort? Well, no. Not any more. I can't stand being in this house. It feels so empty now. And you wanna know something else?"

Ron held his breath..

"I've kept all his things in my room and I'm never giving them away!"

And he stormed out of the room, throwing his plate to the wall, merely inches away from Ginny's head.

Hermione sat in her chair, bewildered and unmoving.

Ron had stopped eating entirely and was now staring at the smashed plates on the floor and the spoiled food.

"'Well, waste not, want not and all that", he said helping himself.


	3. Chapter 3

The morning passed in silence and everyone had been confined in their own rooms but Hermione.

It wasn't out of the ordinary for the family to have a fight about Fred's death but she could not escape the feeling that this one was different. After Fred died the house had become miserable. The cheer that had once spread from smile to smile on Christmas Day was gone. The jolly laughter at the breakfast table, the never-ending chatter that would leave any quiet folk unheard, the scoffing at Percy's boasting of his next promotion, the delicious smell of honey dripped sauce on waffles every Sunday; all gone and everyone had suffered because of it.

Hermione was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she did not hear a heavy knock at the door until the fifth and last one was made the front door wince. Wiping a tear from her eye she swung the door open. A tall, boney woman with dark black hair- now streaked with light grey highlights- pinned back behind her beige square glasses -that turned up like cat's eyes- and wearing a black, pointed hat embedded with moons and stars, was standing before Hermione. She wore an emerald cloak also embedded with moons and stars and a thin smile. The top of the cloak was fastened with a silver brooch in the shape of a cat.

"Hello, Miss Granger." Her voice was somewhat deep as if she had been eating a tube of 'Weasley's Wizard Throat Juice' (one of George's specialties).

"Professor McGonagall!", Hermione exclaimed.

"Professor, what are you doing here?", Hermione gasped.

"Please, come in!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Hermione. I do not have long before I must return."

Hermione felt a surge of disappointment by this and asked "What are you doing here, Professor?"

Professor McGonagall released a huge sigh.

"Well, you see, I was in my old office the other day- just having a little peak, mind you, - when I came upon my old storage closet. I was feeling rather curious so I decided to have a look to see what old memories would conjure. I saw a few things were still sat in the same place as they had been a year ago; Albus Dumbledore's- God rest his soul- red cloak with the moons on it, the key to his old files cabinet too, might I add, and this. . ." She dug her pockets with her bony fingers.

Something was rattling around as Professor McGonagall searched with all her might for this object.

After a few moments of rattling around she finally scooped up something that had appeared to be a yellowy-bronze colour. At a closer glance Hermione noticed it was not bronze but actual gold.

She recognised the object instantly as she had struggled with it during her third year at Hogwarts whilst trying to attend all her chosen subjects. It was the Time Turner.

"I want you to have it, Hermione, as a keepsake." McGonagall whispered.

"But professor, that belongs to the Ministry, really, not me. "

"It did belong to the Ministry but I wrote a letter to them five years ago asking to keep it. And as I have no reason of need for it I think it become of great use to you. After all it served you great purpose in your fourth year, assuming it was of great assistance when you studied for your O. ?"

"I guess so but are you sure, Professor?"

"Of course I am. You have no idea how good it feels to finally be rid of it. And after all who better to look after it, once I am gone? "

"Don't be like that, Professor. You survived one of the greatest wars against the most darkest wizard and his band of followers!"

Professor McGonagall laughed as she said, "Yes and it was a bloody good thing too that we got to blow up the school! Out with the old and in with the new and whatever else the youth say."

She looked behind her square glasses before quickly handing Hermione the Time Turner.

"Do you remember what I told you when you were in fourth year," she spoke with a sense of mystery.

"I-I think so", Hermione replied in the same sense of mystery but with a bit of thoughtfulness in her tone.

"Good. All you need to remember is that you must never change the past for selfish reasons. If the Time Turner is ever used for selfish obligations then there will be consequences."

"But. . ."

"Hermione, the Ministry know everything. You must be careful! I don't know what I would do if the Ministry holds charges against you. After everything you have done for the school and myself." The mysterious tone had disappeared in her voice and had been replaced by sincerity.

"Thank you.", Hermione smiled.

"You're more than welcome, Hermione. If you ever need me, whatever it is, whenever it is, I will be glad to help. I would stay longer but I am afraid the school cannot wait!" she reflected Hermione's smile with an even larger one and turned away from the door, ready for the long walk that awaited her back to Hogwarts.

"Professor. . .", Hermione called out.

"You don't need to keep calling me Professor, dear. You are, after all, no longer a student!"

And with that she had apparated.


	4. Chapter 4

Upon entering the room again, Hermione felt strangely woozy and homesick. To make things worse, a pang of realisation had settled in. Professor McGonagall had visited with the time turner, which could only mean one thing; McGonagall had given Hermione the time turner for a reason. For what though?The pressure was building up and her muscles pushed her down onto a nearby kitchen chair. She looked closer into the loops of the Time Turner. There was curly writing engraved into it. She had obviously noticed this before due to the amount of times she had used the time turners but she had never actually take the opportunity to read what it said. Dumbledore had given Hermione the Time Turner in his will but Hermione had always felt too guilty to hold onto such a valuable item and had given back to Professor McGonagall at the end of the Final Battle, last year.

I mark the hours everyone nor have I outrun the sun. My use and value unto you are gauged by what you have to do, it read.

She traced the deeply carved writing on the object, encircling her fingers round the loops and thought for a moment.

What could McGonagall possibly want her to do?

The morning passed in silence and everyone were still confined in their own rooms- obviously too upset because of George, Hermione smiled sadly. But she wasn't too bothered about this because she was more focused on figuring out what on the earth she was supposed to with the Time Turner, her eyes concentrated on the writing and twiddling the sand timer in the middle. Squinting her eyes, she panned the Time Turner for furthermore evidence that would entice her knowledge.

"Come on! There must be something! Anything. Anything at all to give at least some idea of what I need to do."

She was getting rather impatient with it now.

She muttered something unintelligible and was about to repeat when...

"KNOCK! KNOCK!", a cheery voice boomed.

"What the...?", Hermione looked around before realising someone was chapping at her bedroom door.

"Come in, she said more gently.

The floorboards creaked and squeaked as Ron was.

"Hi!", he said as he attempted to keep control of his balance while leaning on Hermione's door.

"Hi", Hermione replied in a more calm voice than Ron's.

He appeared to have -what looked like- his cheesiest grin stretched onto his face.

"How are you feeling? I hope you're not too wound up after what George said."

"I'm fine.", she said, hoping he wouldn't see the annoyance of this question, in her eyes.

She was feeling frustrated because of the Time Turner.

" You?", she continued.

"I've been better but never mind me. Can I come in?"

"Sure." she replied in a monotone voice.

He pushed Hogwarts: A History out of the way to sit on the bed next to her.

He laughed as he said "I can't believe you still have that!"

Hermione forced a smile but would not look away from the Time Turner.

"So is everyone still upset?" she questioned, while twiddling the Time Turner around her palm.

"Yeah. Everyone's still pretty much annoyed with each other", Ron laughed.

It was times like these that Hermione missed. Having a casual laugh with her friends, joking with Fred and George, knitting lessons with Ginny, 'helping' Harry finish his Butterbeer and laughing at Ron who could never drink his without achieving a frothy, white moustache.

She looked up to Ron who was scanning the room and nosying the posters and old pieces of parchment lying on the floor. It took him a while to notice that Hermione wasn't really interested in how everyone was, but was gazing into the Time Turner - which had sparks shooting out of it as she twiddled it round her palm.

"What's that?" he asked, suspiciously.

Her eyebrows knitted together as she passed the Time Turner to Ron. "It's my Time Turner. You remember when Dumbledore passed it onto me in his will, right?"

"Oh, yeah! How could I forget this old thing!", he said, fondly. "You were so intrigued with it when Dumbledore gave it to you! I remember seeing your eyes light up when he gave it to you. They glistened a beautiful chocolate brown colour."

Hermione felt herself blushing as Ron slid closer to her.

"So what's the story , then, eh? Why have you all of a sudden brought this out?"

"Well I wasn't planning on telling anyone but since you asked...

McGonagall visited earlier and..."

Ron jumped in astonishment.

"Hold on...McGonagall was here?!"

"Yes. And as a matter of fact, the visit was of utter importance."

"What do you mean, Hermione?" Ron was now confused(but that wasn't hard to do!).

"Well...she came to the door, saying that she wanted to give it to me as a keepsake but I have to be careful the Ministry don't find out what I use it for...That I must not use it for my own selfish purposes."

Ron smirked.

"You, do anything selfish? I don't think that's even possible!", he smiled.

"Ron" she spoke seriously. "I think she meant for me to go back in time and change something but I can't be sure."

"What makes you say that? It is after all a Time Turner." Ron teased her.

But Hermione was still frustrated.

"I guess it was just how she said it. Like it was urgent. I can't think straight, though! All that comes to mind is Fred...and he..." Hermione couldn't restrain her tears that were falling like a waterfall would drop water.

Ron squeezed her shoulder.

"It's okay. He fought bravely, you know. George was always by his side and he says that Fred never gave, not until his last breath." Hermione knew that Ron wasn't the emotional type but appreciated his attempts to console her.

He wiped a fresh tear that was forming in and rolling down the corner of her left eye.

"It's okay. He will be watching over us now", he smiled.

But all this did was make her cry harder.

Ron could see that this wasn't working so tried a new method that he wasn't normally accustomed to.

He wrapped his arms around her like a protective Mama Bird and stroked her back.

There was something Hermione couldn't quite place her finger on, that made this hug feel so right.

Moments passed as they comforted each other for a while. Hermione could feel Ron gulping loudly before pulling back. Hermione raised her head slightly and saw that Ron was staring avidly at her eyes.

"They're glistening again", he said softly.

Hermione could feel herself turning pink as Ron cupped his hands under her chin and slowly moved closer to her. She smiled at him. His eyes never left her's as he smiled back.. And this time, Hermione gulped. Slowly, she moved her head, getting closer and closer until eventually she was interlocking her lips with Ron. Suddenly, everything that had gone wrong in Hermione's life seemed to disappear and was replaced by sparks of dazzling lights that were shot up in the air around her and Ron. Electricity was coursing through her skin, through her veins, as she was immersed in bliss. Ron was getting deeper with his kisses, bringing Hermione closer into him as she returned his kisses. Questions were springing to her mind.

_What's going on? Why am I doing this?_

But the questions seemed fuzzy to Hermione and all she could think about was how much she was enjoying herself.

Moments passed and Ron began to move his hands. They were now sliding through her hair and caressing Hermione's warm neck. With each new breath he took he kissed more and more passionately.

With a final kiss he pulled back, jolting Hermione with shock.

"I had to do that at least once" he said softly.


End file.
